1849 KENTUCKY CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION SIGNATURE BOOK with SIGNATURES of 95 COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES, plus Sergeant at Arms, Reporters, etc.

The Constitutional Convention signatory Sign In notebook was owned by THOMAS N. LINDSEY, member of the notable LINDSEY FAMILY of FRANKFORT KENTUCKY. Thomas N. Lindsey was the Representative of Franklin County, Kentucky. His signature is on the backside of the first page. 

The Signature Book is 3x5 inches and filled with blank paper. Lacking the front cover, however the spine covering and rear cover are present, as are all the inner pages. 

It appears likely that Thomas N. Lindsey was responsible for getting the signatures of the attending Representatives and others at the Kentucky Constitutional Convention of 1849 (that led to the adoption of the Constitution of 1850). He signed his name clearly on the verso of the first page, and I believe also on the back cover though that signature is very difficult to see. Though the notebook pages were blank, Lindsey wrote 3 numbers on a page up to number 100, leaving space by each number where Representatives signed in and identified themselves by county. 94 Representatives signed in and most wrote the county they represented below their signature, some also wrote the city they were from. The spaces beside numbers 95-100 are blank. However, Thomas N. Lindsey, the representative from Franklin County, signed at the front as noted above, meaning that this notebook contains a total of 95 signatures of the Constitutional Convention Representatives. Many of the signatures are accompanied with handwritten salutations: "Your friend" "Yours respectfully" etc..

In addition to the 95 Representatives, there are signatures of the Sergeant at Arms, Clerk, Door Keeper, Deputy, 5 Reporters, and the Minister of the Gospel.

I have been able to fully identify all but 5 of the 95 Representatives through a combination of their signatures and the counties they identified themselves with. Here they are (please forgive mistakes in the spelling or typing of names, cities or counties):

JAMES GUTHRIE, President of the Convention; MARK E. HUSTON, Spencer County; GARRETT DAVIS, Bourbon County (resigned his seat at the Constitutional Convention nine days before ratification because he said he would refuse to sign it); LOUIS DESHA, (later General Desha), Harrison County; FRANCIS M. BRISTOW, Todd County; WILLIAM K. BOWLING, Logan County; IGNATIUS A. SPALDING, Union County; ANDREW HOOD, Clarke County; THOMAS W. LISLE, Green County; JOHN D. TAYLOR, Mason County; SILAS WOODSON, Barbourville County (later Governor of Missouri); ANDREW S. WHITE, Shelby County; GEORGE W. JOHNSTON, Shelby County; THOMAS ROCKHOLD, Whitley County; DAVID MERIWETHER, Jefferson County; ELIJAH F. NUTTALL, Henry County; SQUIRE TURNER, Madison County; JOHN D. MORRIS, Christian County; CHARLES CHAMBERS, Burlington, Roone County; NINIAN E. GRAY, Christian County; RICHARD L. MAYES, Graves County; WILLIAM C. BULLITT, Jefferson County; LUTHER BRAWNER, Owsley County; THOMAS D. BROWN; Hardin County; (?? I can not read the handwriting of signatory #25, the only part I can decipher is that he is from Oldham); IRA ROOT, Newport, Campbell County; JAMES W. STONE, Hardin County; THOMAS JAMES, Hickman County; VINCENT S. HAY, Butler County; NATHAN McCLURE, Jamestown, Russell County; CHARLES A. WICKLIFFE, Bardstown, Nelson County; GEORGE W. MANSFIELD, Allen County; SELUCIUS GARFIELD, Sherburne, Fleming County; CHASTEN T. DUNAVEN, Warren County; WILLIAM CHENAULT, Madison County; JAMES RUDD, City of Louisville; JOHN L. BALLINGER, Stamford, Lincoln County; (?? I can not determine signature #38); ALFRED BOYD, Cadiz, Trigg County; THOMAS J. GOUGH, Meade County; BENJAMIN F. EDWARDS, Nicholas County; NATHAN GAITHER, Adair County; JOHN T. ROGERS, Barren County; JOHN W. STEVENSON, Kenton County; JOHN J. THURMAN, Grayson County; JESSE COFFEY, Casey County; PETER LASHBROOKE, Mason County; HENRY B. POLLARD, Pollards Mills, Greenup County; JOHN S. BARLOW, Monroe County; WILLIAM JOHNSON, Scott County; JOHN WHEELER, Pendleton County; RICHARD APPERSON, Montgomery County; WILLIAM HENDRIX, Grant County; JOHN T. ROBINSON, Gallatin County; MICHAEL L. STONER, Cumberland and Clinton County; JAMES M. NESBITT, Bath County; HENRY R.D. COLEMAN, Crittenden County; WILLIS B. MACHEN, Caldwell County; HOWARD TODD, Owen County; GREEN FORREST, Marion County; CHARLES COOPER KELLY, Washington County; HUGH NEWELL, Harrison County; WILLIAM N. MARSHALL, Taylor County; BEVERLY L. CLARKE, Simpson County; BENJAMIN COPELIN, Hart County; PHILIP TRIPLETT, Daviess County; EDWARD CURD, Calloway County; ROBERT D. MAUPIN, Glasgow, Barren County; WILLIAM PRESTON, Louisville; GEORGE W. KAVANAUGH, Anderson County; JAMES M. LACKEY, Floyd, Pike and Johnson County; ARCHIBALD DIXON, Henderson County; JOHNSON PRICE, Lancaster, Garrard County; JOHN H. McHENRY, Ohio and Hancock County; (?? I can not decipher the signature of signatory #76, the only part I can decipher is that he is from Breckinridge County); WILLIAM R. THOMPSON, Bullitt County; WILLIAM COWPER, Livingston County; ALEX K. MARSHALL, Jessamine County; BEN HARDING, Nelson County; (?? I can not read the handwriting of signatory #81); GEORGE W. WILLIAMS, Bourbon County; WILLIAM C. MARSHALL, Bracken County; JAMES DUDLEY, Fayette County; JOHN L. WALLER, Woodford County; JONATHAN NEWCUM, Rockcastle County; LARKIN J. PROCTOR, Lewis County; ALBERT G. TALBOTT, Boyle County; THOMAS J. HOOD, Carter County; JAMES H. GARRARD, Clay County; JAMES W. IRWIN, Logan County; (?? I can not read the handwriting of signatory #92); JOHN HARGIS, Breathitt and Morgan County; THOMAS P. MOORE, Harrodsburg, Mercer County.  Signature #95 is that of JOHN B. LINDSEY, whose signature is at the front of the book. He represented Franklin County.

In addition to the signatures of 95 Representatives, this Sign-in / Signatory Book contains the signature of the following: THOMAS J. HELM, Glasgow, Kentucky (Clerk, Secretary of the Convention); CALVIN SANDERS, Shelby County, Kentucky (Sergeant at Arms), JOHN M. HELMS, Frankfort, Kentucky (Door Keeper); reporters from Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Winsted Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Frankfort, Kentucky; and that of the Minister of the Gospel.

The second to last page, following a number of blank pages, has the names and addresses of several Lindsey family members. Perhaps this book was passed down from one family member to another as an important historic keepsake?

GOOD CONDITION. Front cover missing, as noted above, some creasing and edge chipping to the first page, the rear inner hinge is split but holding well, otherwise the pages are solid, well bound, and all the signatures and writing is bright and clear.

The 1850 Kentucky Constitution was extremely PRO SLAVERY. You can read about the 1850 Kentucky Constitution and the 1849 Kentucky Constitutional Convention on many sites on the Internet.